Nutrition isn’t just about disease management – it may also help with disease prevention. In a study of 12,575 adults in China, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were significantly less likely to develop diabetes over the nine-year study period. Specifically, each one-point increase on the nine-point Mediterranean diet score was linked with a 17 percent lower risk of developing diabetes. When looking at individual food groups, fruit, fish, and nuts were also significantly associated with a lower risk of developing diabetes.
Nutr J. 2024 Oct 23;23(1):131. doi: 10.1186/s12937-024-01036-x. (Ying Z et al.)

Because respiratory diseases like COVID-19 can be characterized by inflammation, researchers wonder if a naturally anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet might be related to COVID-19 risk. In a systematic review of 6 studies covering 55,489 people total, researchers found that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet is linked with a lower risk of COVID-19. However, more research is needed on the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and COVID-19 symptoms and severity.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 21;19(8):e0301564. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301564. eCollection 2024. (Halim C et al.)

Gestational diabetes, the type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, can lead to health complications for both the mother and her baby. In a review of 10 studies, researchers found that consuming a Mediterranean diet before or in early pregnancy is linked with a 36% lower risk of developing gestational diabetes.
Nutr Diabetes. 2024 Jul 23;14(1):55. doi: 10.1038/s41387-024-00313-2. (Nasab SJ et al.)

Self-reported nutrition questionnaires are the most commonly used tool in nutrition research, but blood biomarkers indicating consumption of certain foods are emerging as an intriguing way to measure people’s diets. In this study, 418 older adults in Bordeaux and 422 older adults in Dijon, none of whom had dementia, were followed for 12 years. Their diet was monitored using blood biomarkers indicating intake of common Mediterranean diet foods (for example, using oleic acid levels as a marker of olive oil intake). In the Dijon group, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were 10 percent less likely to experience cognitive decline than those not following a Mediterranean diet. In the Dijon group, the results were comparable but not quite statistically significant.
Mol Nutr Food Res. 2024 Jul;68(13):e2300271. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202300271. Epub 2023 Oct 24. (Tor-Roca A et al.)

Could a spoonful of olive oil keep dementia-related deaths at bay? In a study of 92,383 adults (average age 56), those eating at least half a tablespoon of olive oil per day had a 28 percent lower risk of dementia-related death compared with those who never or rarely consumed olive oil over the 28-year study period. These results remained consistent even after adjusting for genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s disease.
JAMA Netw Open. 2024 May 1;7(5):e2410021. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.10021. (Tessier AJ et al.)

The Mediterranean diet is known for its link with longevity, so researchers wanted to quantify the lower risk of mortality in American women and look for potential mechanisms. In a study of 25,315 women in the US followed for 25 years, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet had a 23 percent reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Most of this lower risk seems to come from improved inflammation, reduced insulin resistance, improved BMI, and a few other health markers.
JAMA Netw Open. 2024 May 1;7(5):e2414322. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.14322. (Ahmad S et al.)

Psychosocial stress, a type of stress caused by changes in social situations (such as death of a loved one, prolonged illness, or a move) can make people feel left out or make it difficult to cope. As people age and begin to face big life changes, managing psychosocial stress is of the utmost importance. In a study of 1,656 baby boomers in Korea, those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were 39-41 percent less likely to report high levels of psychosocial stress.
Nutr Res Pract. 2024 Apr;18(2):257-268. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2024.18.2.257. Epub 2024 Mar 27. (Jang EH et al.)

Prospective studies, which follow groups of people over long periods of time, help researchers to identify patterns for chronic diseases like heart disease that often appear later in life. In this prospective study, nearly 2,000 adults were followed for 20 years to see if their diet had any relationship with developing heart disease down the road. Those most closely following a Mediterranean diet were 44% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease during the 20-year study, even after adjusting for family history, smoking, physical activity, and other risk factors. The authors also suggested that inflammation and kidney function may play a role in this relationship.
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 Jan;34(1):153-166. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2023.09.019. (Georgoulis M et al.)

Lifestyle habits during pregnancy can support healthy growth and development for babies and children. To measure prenatal interventions on neurodevelopment, more than 600 pregnant mothers were randomly assigned to a Mediterranean diet (receiving free olive oil and walnuts), a mindfulness-based stress relief program, or a control group that received their usual prenatal care. When the children they delivered were 24 months old, they were then assessed for neurodevelopment outcomes. Compared with the control group, children in the Mediterranean diet group scored higher in the cognitive and social-emotional domain, and children in the mindfulness group also scored higher in the social-emotional domain.
JAMA Network Open. 2023 Aug 1;6(8):e2330255. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.30255. (Crovetto F et al.)

To see if diet might relate to breast cancer survival, researchers analyzed the pre-diagnosis eating habits of 13,270 women with breast cancer and followed them for more than 8 years after diagnosis. Low compared with medium adherence to a Mediterranean diet before breast cancer diagnosis was linked with a 13% higher risk of all-cause mortality, while each 3-unit increase in the 16-point Mediterranean diet score was linked with an 8% reduced risk of mortality. The results were especially strong in cases of metastatic breast cancer.
BMC Medicine. 2023 Jun 26;21(1):225. doi: 10.1186/s12916-023-02934-3. (Castro-Espin C et al.)

A Mediterranean diet includes many of the foods and food groups that are recommended for fertility, so researchers set out to measure if the Mediterranean diet itself had any relationship on fertility markers. In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 studies, researchers found that following a Mediterranean diet is linked with live births, pregnancy rate, sperm concentration, and sperm count, but that these outcomes are inconsistent across the studies. The researchers conclude that a Mediterranean diet “indicates sperm improvement and a possibility of better pregnancy outcomes,” but that data are insufficient to make clinical recommendations.
Nutr Rev. 2023 Jun 9;81(7):775-789. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuac087. (Muffone ARMC et al.)

Pasta is low-glycemic index food, meaning that it has a gentler impact on blood sugar than many other carbohydrate foods. However, many people are confused about how pasta fits into a healthy diet. In this review, researchers analyzed 38 studies to better understand how pasta intake relates to body weight. Some studies found no relationship between eating pasta and body weight, while other studies found that eating pasta was related to a lower risk of overweight and obesity. Overall, the evidence suggests that pasta does not cause weight gain, especially when pasta is eaten in the context of an overall healthy diet.
Nutrients. 2023 Jun 9;15(12):2689. doi: 10.3390/nu15122689. (Sanders LM et al.)